Servati's girlfriend: 'He saved my life'

Lauren Swann says John Servati died while saving her life. (Photo: WBRC video)

John Servati. Source: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, AL (WBRC) -

For the first time, John Servati's girlfriend is talking about the night her boyfriend died while saving her life in Tuscaloosa.

"He saved my life and I shouldn't be here. I mean, he's my hero. He's always going to be my hero, just because I wouldn't be here without him," said Lauren Swann.

Swann says she wants the public to know that John Servati is definitely a hero and saved her life after a retaining wall fell on top of them during heavy rains on Monday night. The two had been dating for about a month and a half.

Swann's mother first met Servati a few years ago at a local pool and thought he might be the one for her daughter. Family and friends say the two had a strong bond built on a shared faith.

Swann says at this point she can't say that her faith has been tested nor can she say that it has. But what she does know is that something good will come from this tragedy.

"There's no doubt in my mind that if he knew the outcome of what was going to happen that he would do it a hundred times over," Swann said. "And I think he would do that for anybody he cared about."

"It's definitely not easy and I don't think it's going to be easy, but it's something that I know I have to stick with. I know God has a plan, he has a plan for me just like he had a plan for John. He knew all of this was going to happen before it did happen and I've just got to believe and believe he's going to send me down the right path and he's going to let me do good things with this," she said.

Lauren says John excelled in and out of the pool and she hopes his story will inspire others to make a difference in their communities.

John Servati was a record-setting swimmer at a Tupelo, Mississippi high school. One of his dreams was to swim at Alabama. And boy, did he swim, with an intensity that Alabama team captain Phillip Deaton called "amazing."More >>

John Servati was a record-setting swimmer at a Tupelo, Mississippi high school. One of his dreams was to swim at Alabama. And boy, did he swim, with an intensity that Alabama team captain Phillip Deaton called "amazing."More >>